Zach Wilson facing axe as Jets ‘highlights’ go viral for completely wrong reason
Zach Wilson was benched for the second time this year as the New York Jets' catastrophic season plumbed new depths on Sunday evening.
The Jets lost star quarterback Aaron Rodgers to injury in Week One of the NFL season and Wilson has struggled to produce since stepping up as starter.
The former No.2 pick was replaced by NFL journeyman Tim Boyle with just over two minutes remaining in the Jets' 32-6 defeat to the Buffalo Bills.
It's the second time Wilson has been demoted, having previously been replaced by Mike White.
Wilson completed only 7 of 15 passes for 81 yards with one touchdown and an interception, but the numbers only tell half the story of what was a game to forget.
Early in the second quarter, Wilson started a Jets drive by falling over whilst backpedalling onto the field.
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"This is the moment you knew it was over for Zach Wilson against the Bills," one fan wrote on X.
He followed the embarrassing gaffe by colliding with head coach Robert Saleh.
Attempting to evade pressure, Wilson scrambled out to his right towards the Jets sideline, colliding with Saleh and knocking the Jets head coach to the floor.
The Jets face the Miami Dolphins in Week 12 and Saleh refused to reveal whether Wilson would retain his place as starter.
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But Saleh did admit the 24-year-old "has to get better" with his Jets career hanging in the balance.
"Like I told Zach on the sideline, it's not just him," Saleh said after the game.
"It's easy to point the finger at the quarterback, but it's pretty easy to see. You've got missed protections, you've got dropped balls, you've got missed routes.
"Now, obviously, he has to get better. There are things he could've done a lot better, but it's everyone right now."
Wilson, who didn't complete a single pass to a wide receiver on Sunday, said he understood why the decision was taken, adding "I'm not getting it done".
"Frustrated, but I get it," Wilson said of Sunday's benching.
"[You] have to score, have to be in games. When it's consecutive games of just doing nothing on offense, you know you can sit here and say last week we moved the ball, but we're not scoring.
"It essentially comes down to you to have to score. So when things aren't getting done, change has to be made, and I understand that."We need to take accountability, and that starts with me -- and I'm not getting it done."
Earlier on Sunday, it was reported that Rodgers was eyeing a return on Christmas Eve after tearing his Achilles in the first game of the season.